Apparatus for transporting a container
An apparatus for transporting a container, the apparatus includes a base, a retaining section, and a brace. The base has a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the container, where the container may be a vase of flowers, a paint can, catering supplies, etc. The retaining section has a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the container on the base. The brace mechanically couples the base to the retaining section.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to mechanical support structures and more particularly to mechanical support structures for use in transporting contains.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known, a multitude of items are transported from location to another during the normal course of business. The change of locations may be from one area of a building to another, a delivery from a commercial building to a customer, across the country, etc. The items may range from organic items such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc. to inorganic items such as electronic equipment, hardware, tools, etc.
From a financial standpoint, the transportation of items must be done reliably (e.g., the items should not get damaged in transit) and efficiently (e.g., the loading and unloading of the items from the transporting device is easy, safe, and quick and the amount of items that can be transported is maximized). For example, if the items being transported are flowers, which usually are contained in a glass vase, or some other fragile material, they should be securely head in the transporting device (e.g., a delivery van) such that they can be safely delivered. Currently, most flower delivery vans use cardboard boxes, or some other type of box, to hold the vases of flowers. If the van is not driven with the utmost care, the boxes will shift in the van. If the shifting is sudden, the vases may break. Further, the use of boxes is not an optimal storage device for the vases of flowers, thus the van is not optimally loaded, which requires additional trips to reload the truck. Such inefficiencies are costly in a highly competitive marketplace.
Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus for efficient and reliable transportation of items such as, but not limited to, flowers, catering items, painting supplies, and any type of container.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe apparatus for transporting a container of the present invention substantially meets these needs and others. In one embodiment, an apparatus for transporting a container, the apparatus includes a base, a retaining section, and a brace. The base has a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the container, where the container may be a vase of flowers, a paint can, catering supplies, etc. The retaining section has a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the container on the base. The brace mechanically couples the base to the retaining section. Such an apparatus may be mounted on transporting device (e.g., a vehicle, a dolly, etc.) to securely transport multiple items efficiently and reliably. The items may be fragile containers, such as a vase, non-fragile containers such as a paint can, and/or any other article that requires transporting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
As shown, the base 12 has a geometric shape that supports the container 18. The shape may be circular, square, rectangular, oval, or triangular. In a preferred embodiment, the geometric shape of the based 12 corresponds to the axial (i.e., the bottom view) of the container 18. Thus, if the container 18 is round, the base 12 is round.
The retaining section 14 holds the container 18 in a relatively fixed position with respect to the base 12. The shape of the retaining section 14 corresponds to the shape of the container 18. As shown, the container 18 is a cylinder and the retaining section 14, from a top perspective, is round. The retaining section 14 will be described in greater detail with reference to
The brace 16 mechanically couples the base 12 to the retaining section 14. The mechanical coupling may be fixed by welding, glue, rivets, hardware, etc., between the brace 16 and the base 12 and between the brace and retaining section 14. Alternatively, the mechanical coupling may be adjustable. For example, the brace 16 may include a slot such that the mechanical coupling of the retaining section 14 to the brace 16 may be vertically adjusted. Thus, if the height of the container 18 changes, the retaining section 14 coupling to the brace 16 may be adjusted to position the retaining section 14 at an optimal position. Such adjustability allows the apparatus 10 to securely transport a variety of containers.
The container 18 may be the item in transport (e.g., a paint can, ladder, etc.) or the receptacle for the item in transport (e.g., flowers, baked goods, etc.). Alternatively, the container 18 may be a flexible sleeve for receiving and holding an item for transport.
The brace 16 is shown to include an adjustable mechanism 20, which may be slot. The adjustable mechanism 20 enables the retaining section 14 to be adjusted in the second plane to better hold the container 18.
As shown, the first and second sections 30 and 32 have shapes that correspond to the shape of the container 18. For instance, if the container is a cylinder, the first and second sections have a semi-circular shape. If the container is box-like, the first and second sections have a square and/or rectangular shape. As is also shown, the first and second sections 30 and 32 include flanges to connect to the tension mechanism 34, which may be a screw, a rubber band, a spring, and/or any other device that can provide tension between the first and second section 30 and 32 to hold the container 18.
The first and/or second section 30 and/or 32 may include padding on this inside surface to provide cushioning of the container as it is held in place. As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, there is a variety of ways in which the retaining section 14 may be implemented to hold the container 18. For instance, the second section 32 and the tension mechanism 34 may be replaced with an elastic strap coupled to the first section 30, which is mounted to the brace. Further, the first and second sections may be hinged together on one side with a clasp on the other.
In application, the support channels 48 are mechanically coupled to a transporting device (e.g., the inside wall of a van, a dolly, any type of vehicle, etc.). The supporting structure 42, which will be described in greater detail with reference to
The primary supports 44 and 46, which will be described in greater detail with reference to
The preceding discussion has presented a container transporting apparatus and system incorporating such an apparatus. Such an apparatus enables efficient and reliable transportation of a variety of items including vases of flowers, baked goods, catering supplies, etc. As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, other embodiments may be derived from the teachings of the present invention without deviating from the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for transporting a container, the apparatus comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the container;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the container on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plane is substantially perpendicular to second plane.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the brace further comprises an adjustable mechanical coupling to adjust distance between the base and the retaining section.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base further comprises a neck and a stand, wherein the stand provides the support for the container and the neck provides the mechanical coupling between the stand and the brace.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first geometric shape further comprises at least one of: round, oval, square, and rectangular.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retaining section further comprises:
- a first section having a shape corresponding to a portion of the second geometric shape;
- a second section having a shape corresponding to a second portion of the second geometric shape; and
- tension mechanism providing a loaded mechanical coupling between the first and second sections to axial clasp the container.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second geometric shape corresponding to a radial shape of the container.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the retaining section further comprises a securing mechanism to clamp the container within the retaining section.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the securing mechanism further comprises at least one of: screws, clamps, elastic bands, and compressible padding.
10. A system for transporting a plurality of containers, the system comprises:
- a plurality of transporting apparatuses for transporting the plurality of containers; and
- support structure that supports the plurality of transporting apparatuses and mounts to a transporting device.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transporting device comprises at least one of a vehicle and a dolly.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the support structure further comprises:
- a first primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- a second primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- at least one support channel mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports, wherein the at least one support channel includes a plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- a first support channel; and
- a second support channel, wherein the first and second support channels are mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports and each include the plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- gliding mechanism to glide across the first and second primary supports.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of transporting apparatuses further comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the container;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the fragile contain on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
16. An apparatus for transporting a plurality of containers, the apparatus comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support a multiple container receptacle that contains the plurality of containers;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the multiple container receptacle on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the brace further comprises an adjustable mechanical coupling to adjust distance between the base and the retaining section.
18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the base further comprises a neck and a stand, wherein the stand provides the support for the multiple container receptacle and the neck provides the mechanical coupling between the stand and the brace.
19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the retaining section further comprises:
- a first section having a shape corresponding to a portion of the second geometric shape;
- a second section having a shape corresponding to a second portion of the second geometric shape; and
- tension mechanism providing a loaded mechanical coupling between the first and second sections to axial clasp the multiple container receptacle.
20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second geometric shape corresponding to a radial shape of the multiple container receptacle.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the retaining section further comprises a securing mechanism to clamp the multiple container receptacle within the retaining section.
22. A system for transporting a plurality of containers, the system comprises:
- a plurality of transporting apparatuses for transporting a plurality of multiple container receptacles, wherein each of the plurality of multiple container receptacles contains a portion of the plurality of containers; and
- support structure that supports the plurality of transporting apparatuses and mounts to a transporting device.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the transporting device comprises at least one of a vehicle and a dolly.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the support structure further comprises:
- a first primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- a second primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- at least one support channel mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports, wherein the at least one support channel includes a plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- a first support channel; and
- a second support channel, wherein the first and second support channels are mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports and each include the plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
26. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- gliding mechanism to glide across the first and second primary supports.
27. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of transporting apparatuses further comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support a multiple container receptacle that contains the plurality of containers;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the non-fragile contain on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
28. An apparatus for carrying a vase of flowers, the apparatus comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the vase of flowers;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the vase of flowers on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the brace further comprises an adjustable mechanical coupling to adjust distance between the base and the retaining section.
30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the base further comprises a neck and a stand, wherein the stand provides the support for the container and the neck provides the mechanical coupling between the stand and the brace.
31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the retaining section further comprises:
- a first section having a shape corresponding to a portion of the second geometric shape;
- a second section having a shape corresponding to a second portion of the second geometric shape; and
- tension mechanism providing a loaded mechanical coupling between the first and second sections to axial clasp the vase of flowers.
32. A system for transporting a plurality of vase of flowers, the system comprises:
- a plurality of transporting apparatuses for transporting the plurality of vase of flowers; and
- support structure that supports the plurality of transporting apparatuses and mounts to a transporting device.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein the transporting device comprises at least one of a vehicle and a dolly.
34. The system of claim 32, wherein the support structure further comprises:
- a first primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- a second primary support mechanically mountable to the transporting device;
- at least one support channel mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports, wherein the at least one support channel includes a plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
35. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- a first support channel; and
- a second support channel, wherein the first and second support channels are mechanically coupled to the first and second primary supports and each include the plurality of mounting attachments for mechanically supporting the plurality of transporting apparatuses.
36. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one support channel further comprises:
- gliding mechanism to glide across the first and second primary supports.
37. The system of claim 32, wherein each of the plurality of transporting apparatuses further comprises:
- a base having a first geometric shape in a first plane to support the vase of flowers;
- retaining section having a second geometric shape in a second plane to retain the vase of flowers on the base; and
- brace mechanically coupling the base to the retaining section.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 8, 2003
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2005
Inventor: Paul Beltran (Austin, TX)
Application Number: 10/657,745